Friction Force of Locust Locusta migratoria manilensis (Orthoptera, Locustidae) on Slippery Zones of Pitchers from Four Nepenthes Species

Slippery zone of inner pitchers in Nepenthes species serves functions of trapping insect and restraining escape of prey being used as a main nitrogen and phosphorus source. To investigate the influence of the slippery zones from different Nepenthes species on friction force of insect possessing smooth adhesive pads and rigid claws, friction force of locust Locusta migratoria manilensis on slippery surface of pitchers from four Nepenthes species was measured. The friction force of locust was also measured on stainless steel plate for comparison. Different friction forces were showed among the four Nepenthes species (mainly 380–550 mN in imagines, 120–185 mN in larvae), and were apparently lower than on the stainless steel plates (mainly 650 mN in imagines, 230 mN in larvae). Surface morphologies and structures of the slippery zones were observed and analyzed with scanning electron microscope and scanning white-light interferometer to explain the discrimination of the friction force. The slippery zones from the selected Nepenthes species exhibited similar surface morphologies and structures, but differed obviously in the geometrical dimensions of the surface architectures, and the difference probably result in the discriminations of the locust’s friction force. The obtained results contribute to further interpretation of the slippery zone’s anti-attachment mechanism to insect and presumably supply suitable theoretical foundations for biomimeticing structure and function of the slippery zone to develop slippery plates for trapping plague locusts or other agricultural pests.

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